May is the month for strawberries. If you went to the South Carolina Strawberry Festival in Fort Mill earlier this month, you probably came home with buckets of strawberries. What to do with all of those delicious berries? Cobbler? Cereal topping? With cream? All of those options are, of course, wonderful, but nothing beats a bright strawberry pie. With just a bowlful of strawberries, a few ingredients, very little prep work, and a can of Sprite, you can have a refreshing strawberry-season pie in no time, just right for a weekend cookout.

Ingredients for Pie

1 lb fresh strawberries

1 12 oz can of Sprite

1 3 oz box of strawberry gelatin

¼ cup warm water

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 ready-made piecrust, regular or graham cracker

1 tub whipped topping (or use the whipped cream recipe below)

Ingredients for Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream, chilled

1 ½ tsp sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Prepare the Filling

Pour the can of Sprite into a medium saucepan. Add the strawberry gelatin. Whisk together until mixed. Whisk together the warm water and cornstarch until smooth, then add the liquid to the Sprite and gelatin. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until clear, whisking constantly. Let the mixture just come to a slight boil. Over cooking will lead to an overly thick filling.

Prepare the Strawberries

Allow the mixture to cool slightly. As the Sprite and gelatin mixture is cooling, prepare the strawberries. After washing and drying the berries, remove the tops. Cut each one in half from top to bottom, then again if the berries are large. Cut the halves into 1/8” to 1/4” slices. Once the mixture is cooled, add the strawberries and stir until well mixed.

Assemble the Pie

Pour the strawberry mixture into the ready-made crust. Place the pie into a refrigerator to chill for at least 3-4 hours.

Garnish with Whipped Cream

Once the pie has set, remove it from the refrigerator. Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped topping, or make your own whipped cream for an even yummier garnish.

To Make Whipped Cream

Chill a large mixing bowl. Add the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, whip the mixture on low speed for roughly 1 minute or until all the sugar has dissolved and the cream is smooth. Increase the speed on the mixer to high and whip for another 2 minutes or until the cream has roughly doubled in volume. Be careful not to over-mix, as that will cause the whipped cream to break down and lose volume.